Kenya gets first state of development annual report

Kenya gets first state of development annual report 

By Reuben Joseph
The Kenya Property Developers Association and HassConsult today launched Kenya’s first ever annual report on the state of
development in Nairobi with a warning that the city was heading for extreme shortages in urban middle class housing and failed development goals, based on current trends.

The housing shortage in Nairobi is acute, and deteriorating, the report shows. The country’s aim was to be building 200,000 housing units a year in Nairobi to create a world class middle-income city by 2030. But in 2013, just 15,000 housing units were planned.

At the same time, sharp increases in land rates and the city council construction fees added increased financial disincentives to development. The construction permit fees were raised by between 200 times and 1,250 times their previous level. By the fourth quarter of last year, these newly increased charges generated Sh114m, or 23 per cent of the city council’s revenue.

At the same time, the gap between lending rates and the Central Bank of Kenya’s base rate further widened, impacting interest rates for the financing of both development and property buying.

“Nairobi has declared its intention to emerge as a world class city, but this depends on a sharp increase in construction, where current trends are instead slowing down the development industry’s rate of growth,” said Robyn Emerson, CEO of KPDA.

The report comes as the government and industry work to deliver a master plan for the city’s development, which may never be realized without a shift in gear: from exploitation of construction activity as a source of public revenue, to facilitation of a 13-fold increase in construction to reach the plan’s goals. KPDA Board member says, “We are keen to work with government
to come to workable solutions for development goal achievement and a better Nairobi, better Kenya for all.

Ongoing development is now reaching buffers in other areas too, the report found, with building densities rising – with more units per plot – and the availability of new land in the most heavily developing areas of the city now declining drastically. In Kilimani, which was one of the most heavily developing suburbs in 2013, the report found just 12 vacant plots remaining, compared with 470 in the much more static area of Runda.

The areas currently enjoying the greatest levels of development are Kilimani, Kileleshwa, South B and Embakasi, but land availability is now set to see attention shift to other areas with more space to develop.

The report, delivering the first such data gathered and compiled on property development in Nairobi, has been produced by KPDA as part of a strategy to increase the investor rating on Kenyan real estate.

The Jones Lang LeSalle Global Real Estate Transparency Index, used by investors globally to assess the safety and appeal of regional real estate investments currently rates Kenya at 67 of 97 countries for the quality of information on its real estate industry.

“The production of an annual report in this kind of detail and depth is a key plank in the criteria for getting Kenyan property re-graded as a transparent investment asset,” said Ms Emerson.

afb Signs Partnership Deal with Naivas

 

afb Signs Partnership Deal with Naivas

 afb Customers to buy goods on credit at any Naivas Supermarket stores in Nairobi

By Reuben Joseph

 Consumer finance company, afb, has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Naivas Supermarket that will offer its customers the opportunity to purchase goods on credit at any Naivas stores in Nairobi and throughout Kenya over time.

Speaking during the announcement of the partnership, afb’s Managing Director – Cards, Brett van Aswegen said that the company is excited to partner with one of the leading retailers in Kenya, Naivas Ltd, towards offering affordable credit card facilities to the mass market in the country.

“afb and Naivas will introduce the Naivas Retail Credit Card which is an unsecured, revolving credit card facility that allows customers to buy goods in Naivas stores on credit and repay with six (6) affordable monthly payments,” said van Aswegen.

The Naivas Retail Credit Card offers customers an unsecured revolving credit facility of up to Ksh.15, 000 (US$175). Customers can apply in-store for the card and the full application process takes less than 24 hours for customers to be issued with a card.

“The initial credit facility offered to customers will range from Ksh12, 000 to Ksh15, 000 and this will increase over time depending on the customer’s responsible use of credit and repayment period,” added van Aswegen.

Commenting on the deal, Naivas Supermarket Managing Director, David Kimani, said the partnership was crucial for both afb and Naivas in addressing the ever changing needs of customers which in the long run will revolutionize retail by providing unsecured forms of credit.

“The partnership deal with afb is timely and significant and it now means that Naivas customers can buy goods on credit without the need to post any form of collateral and repay with six (6) affordable monthly repayments. Items that customers potentially could not afford immediately are now affordable given afb’s financing support,” said Mr. Kimani.

The Naivas Retail Credit Card is accepted in the XPRES network, which currently has 250 participating afb stores. The Repayments will be made through a variety of channels, including payments at Naivas outlets and through mobile money platforms, Mpesa and Airtel Money.

afb launched a general purpose retail credit card in Nairobi last year that has already grown to an active customer base of over 18,000 card users and a merchant network of over 250 merchants in Nairobi.

Last year in August, it announced partnerships with Manchester United and Chelsea football clubs where afb offers Kenyans the opportunity to shop with branded retail credit cards. afb has also partnered with Airtel Kenya to offer a variety of financial services. afb will be expanding throughout Kenya in the next 18 months as well as a number of other African countries.

-End-

Nairobi gets World Jazz Day concert

Poor hygiene and sanitation costs Kenya SH27 billion annually

 

Nairobi, 17th April 2014:  Kenya has reiterated its commitment to provision of clean water and improvement of sanitation to bolster its’ citizen’s health at a time when the country is losing over Sh27 billion annually due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

The commitments were echoed by the Kenya’s cabinet Secretary for Water, environment and natural resources Ms. Judy Wakhungu who was among representatives of more than 50 governments gathered in Washington, DC on Friday, 11 April for the Sanitation and Water conference. The conference was organised by United Nations and graced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Kenya’s revelation is timely as estimates from WHO and UNICEF indicate that over 48 percent of Kenyans lack access to adequate safe water. Having noticed the magnitude of the problem, the government set out to halve this figure by end of 2015 although according to data compiled by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) indicate that the set deadline may not achieved.

The conference attracted several countries globally with a group of Sub-Saharan African leaders including Kenya pledging to work harder to reach 325 million people on the continent without safe water and 644 million without basic toilets.

Around 20 countries, including Kenya promised to provide all citizens with access to safe water, basic toilets and hygiene by 2030.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the 11 April meeting with warnings that the crisis in water and sanitation will hold back efforts to eradicate poverty.

“Achieving sanitation and water for all may not be cost-free – but it will set people free. Access to sanitation and water means a child free of disease, a woman free of the back-breaking chore to fetch water, a girl free to attend school without fear, a village free of cholera, and a world of greater equality and dignity for all,” he said.

WaterAid ( http://www.wateraid.org), a founding partner in the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, welcomed the commitments.

“WaterAid welcomes the pledges African governments have made at the High Level Meeting to provide safe water and basic toilets. What is crucial now will be action to deliver those promises. One thousand children in Sub-Saharan Africa die every day from this health crisis. Safe water, basic toilets and proper hand-washing with soap can save those lives,” said Barbara Frost, WaterAid Chief Executive.

“Sanitation and Water for All is an important mechanism to not just learn from each other, but to hold ourselves accountable for results – results that benefit the poorest and most vulnerable people,” he said.

New data from the World Health Organisation and Unicef Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) on Water Supply and Sanitation show the massive and growing inequalities in access to safe water and toilets around the world: 748 million globally without safe water and 2.5 billion without proper sanitation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there remain 325 million without safe water and 644 million without basic sanitation.

Out of the 1 billion people around the world still practicing open defecation, 227 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa; 9 in 10 of them live in rural areas. In Kenya, the government’s efforts to help foster sanitation and hygiene through the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) concept initiated in the year 2007 has registered success with the recent declaration of Nambale and Nyando sub-counties Open Defecation Free. However more effort is needed to register notable success with JPM 2012/2013 report indicating that, 29 percent of Kenyans have access to improved sanitation, 26 percent shared sanitation, 31 percent Un-improved sanitation and 14 percent of the population still practice open defecation.

Safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene can prevent illness and make a community healthier and more productive. They can also prevent infant and child mortality, improve rates of education, and prevent the vulnerability that comes when women and girls tasked with fetching water must walk long distances to do so, or when they do not have a safe place to relieve themselves.

“This crisis has had a devastating impact on Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy, development, and families. But sanitation is now recognised as essential in ending extreme poverty. Our challenge is to reach our poorest and most excludedand ensure that everyone’s right to water and sanitation is met in our lifetime. These pledges from African governments are a big step towards realising a healthier and more prosperous future for our continent,” said Nelson Gomonda, pan-African programme manager for WaterAid.

In total, government ministers from 44 developing countries made 265 commitments to increase access to water and sanitation, including promises to address massive inequalities in access,  including between urban and rural residents, rich and poor, and among ethnic groups and regions.

WaterAid has made its own commitments toward a vision of reaching everyone, everywhere by 2030 with safe water and sanitation, as a founding partner in the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership of more than 90 country governments, donors, civil society organisations and other development partners.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of WaterAid.

Poor hygiene and sanitation costs Kenya SH27 billion annually

Poor hygiene and sanitation costs Kenya SH27 billion annually

 

Nairobi, 17th April 2014:  Kenya has reiterated its commitment to provision of clean water and improvement of sanitation to bolster its’ citizen’s health at a time when the country is losing over Sh27 billion annually due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

The commitments were echoed by the Kenya’s cabinet Secretary for Water, environment and natural resources Ms. Judy Wakhungu who was among representatives of more than 50 governments gathered in Washington, DC on Friday, 11 April for the Sanitation and Water conference. The conference was organised by United Nations and graced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Kenya’s revelation is timely as estimates from WHO and UNICEF indicate that over 48 percent of Kenyans lack access to adequate safe water. Having noticed the magnitude of the problem, the government set out to halve this figure by end of 2015 although according to data compiled by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) indicate that the set deadline may not achieved.

The conference attracted several countries globally with a group of Sub-Saharan African leaders including Kenya pledging to work harder to reach 325 million people on the continent without safe water and 644 million without basic toilets.

Around 20 countries, including Kenya promised to provide all citizens with access to safe water, basic toilets and hygiene by 2030.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the 11 April meeting with warnings that the crisis in water and sanitation will hold back efforts to eradicate poverty.

“Achieving sanitation and water for all may not be cost-free – but it will set people free. Access to sanitation and water means a child free of disease, a woman free of the back-breaking chore to fetch water, a girl free to attend school without fear, a village free of cholera, and a world of greater equality and dignity for all,” he said.

WaterAid ( http://www.wateraid.org), a founding partner in the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, welcomed the commitments.

“WaterAid welcomes the pledges African governments have made at the High Level Meeting to provide safe water and basic toilets. What is crucial now will be action to deliver those promises. One thousand children in Sub-Saharan Africa die every day from this health crisis. Safe water, basic toilets and proper hand-washing with soap can save those lives,” said Barbara Frost, WaterAid Chief Executive.

“Sanitation and Water for All is an important mechanism to not just learn from each other, but to hold ourselves accountable for results – results that benefit the poorest and most vulnerable people,” he said.

New data from the World Health Organisation and Unicef Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) on Water Supply and Sanitation show the massive and growing inequalities in access to safe water and toilets around the world: 748 million globally without safe water and 2.5 billion without proper sanitation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there remain 325 million without safe water and 644 million without basic sanitation.

Out of the 1 billion people around the world still practicing open defecation, 227 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa; 9 in 10 of them live in rural areas. In Kenya, the government’s efforts to help foster sanitation and hygiene through the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) concept initiated in the year 2007 has registered success with the recent declaration of Nambale and Nyando sub-counties Open Defecation Free. However more effort is needed to register notable success with JPM 2012/2013 report indicating that, 29 percent of Kenyans have access to improved sanitation, 26 percent shared sanitation, 31 percent Un-improved sanitation and 14 percent of the population still practice open defecation.

Safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene can prevent illness and make a community healthier and more productive. They can also prevent infant and child mortality, improve rates of education, and prevent the vulnerability that comes when women and girls tasked with fetching water must walk long distances to do so, or when they do not have a safe place to relieve themselves.

“This crisis has had a devastating impact on Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy, development, and families. But sanitation is now recognised as essential in ending extreme poverty. Our challenge is to reach our poorest and most excludedand ensure that everyone’s right to water and sanitation is met in our lifetime. These pledges from African governments are a big step towards realising a healthier and more prosperous future for our continent,” said Nelson Gomonda, pan-African programme manager for WaterAid.

In total, government ministers from 44 developing countries made 265 commitments to increase access to water and sanitation, including promises to address massive inequalities in access,  including between urban and rural residents, rich and poor, and among ethnic groups and regions.

WaterAid has made its own commitments toward a vision of reaching everyone, everywhere by 2030 with safe water and sanitation, as a founding partner in the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership of more than 90 country governments, donors, civil society organisations and other development partners.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of WaterAid.